Expensive ongoing treatment for cancer and diabetes are the best-known drivers of the medical debt that contributes to two-thirds of personal bankruptcies, but a Rutgers study indicates other chronic conditions contribute significantly, too. Asthma, heart disease, lung disease, anxiety and other mood disorders are all associated with elevated rates of medical debt, according to an analysis of data from 9,174 households that participated in the 2019 wave of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The study was published in Preventive Medicine. “Medical debt has frequently been connected to cancer and, more recently, to diabetes. The important finding here is that medical debt is connected to a wide range of chronic conditions,” said Irina Grafova, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. To read the full story.